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Hostages

Israelis Gather Nationwide to Mark 600 Days Since Hostages Were Taken on Oct. 7: ‘Save Them Now’

Beginning at 6:29 a.m., on Wednesday, May 28, the moment when Hamas launched its October 7, 2023 terrorist attack, Israelis gathered at different locations around the country in the formation of the yellow hostage symbol. The demonstrations, a call to free the 58 remaining hostages in Gaza, mark 600 days of war. 

People gathered in the predawn hours in the shallow waters of the Mediterranean Sea near the US Embassy branch in Tel Aviv, with the numbers 58 and 600 and “Save Them Now” spelled out in the sand. 

People stood in a circle at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, wearing yellow shirts and holding yellow balloons, waiting for the moment when the digital board counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds of captivity switches from 599 to 600. As the counter turned to 600, the circle released their balloons and called, “Bring them home now!” 

People gathered in a yellow formation on a grassy public knoll in Zichron Yaakov, tied a massive yellow hostage ribbon around Jaffa’s clocktower, held yellow balloons in Ramat Aviv, and created a human yellow ribbon around intersections in Hadera, Holon, Kfar Saba, Nahalal Junction, Modiin and Emek Hefer. 

At 7:10 a.m., a group of bereaved parents stood in a park across from the home of Knesset speaker Amir Ohana, speaking into a microphone, asking the Likud lawmaker to go out to his balcony and look at them. “Go out on your porch and look at us,” said one father. “Our children were killed and assaulted on October 7. For 600 days, you have turned away from us. We won’t let this break us, and we’ll continue to fight.” (TOI/VFI News) 

“Dear Lord, we come at Your Feet and pray with a heavy heart for all the hostages who have spent more than 600 days in Hamas’s lairs. We pray that You mediate their release as soon as possible, heal them completely and restore their spirit. We also ask that You comfort their families and cause our leaders to listen to them. In Yeshua's Name we pray, amen.”